Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
> ____/ Mark Kent on Saturday 21 July 2007 12:25 : \____
>
>> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>>> Wal-mart to offer low-cost Linux PC?
>>>
>>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>>| Wal-Mart will sell a sub-$300 "back-to-school" PC this fall pre-loaded with
>>>| Microsoft Windows Vista and OpenOffice.org productivity software. The
>>>| Everex GC3502 PC is based on a 1.7GHz Via C7-D processor, and will be
>>>| available later this year preloaded with Ubuntu Linux.
>>> `----
>>>
>>> http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS6819255233.html
>>>
>>> Dell, Lenovo, Epson, Acer, Asus...
>>>
>>> H-P, Toshiba not confirmed yet...
>>
>> It would appear that 2007 will be a tipping-point year, the year at
>> which major OEMs began to offer pre-loaded linux machines. I wonder
>> quite how they've got out of the Microsoft deals?
>
> It's the cattle effect. Monkey see, monkey do. H-P and Wal-Mart, for example,
> rely on Dell's assessment (and I mean studies which followed IdeaStorm, not
> just a poll that might be gamed). Dell's further expansion (overseas and SMBs
> as a target) can no longer hide the fact that Dell wishes to keep secret...
> VAR Guy (Joe P) got a little leak from their staff... Linux sales are going
> well for them amid times when Dell has financial problems. Linux is the escape
> route and the road to better margins. They take control of the software which
> they sell.
>
I've not looked at their figures recently, but I would suggest that
their margins are probably in the sub 10% region, so not including
Windows will save them huge amounts of money, so long as they can escape
from a per-processing licensing deal, which is traditionally how
Microsoft have suppressed competition.
If the likes of Dell cannot achieve this, then startups will do it
instead.
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ |
| Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ |
| My (new) blog: http://www.thereisnomagic.org |
|
|
